How to Transition to an IAM Maturity Framework with Ease

Okta recently published a great article that describes IAM as the next value accelerator. At INFRASI, we agree with this perspective, given the increased use of SaaS solutions. With the identity access management (IAM) maturity model being an iterative process, how do you, small and medium-sized businesses, go from stage zero to stage one in your IAM maturity framework transition? Lean on INFRASI and our technology partner Okta for direction.

We know that IT departments have little time with the current pandemic environment and are being pulled in multiple directions. In addition, this year has taught us that we can’t be perfect; we have to adapt and get started. That’s where we can help alleviate that burden and allow you to focus on supporting forward-thinking activities related to your IAM maturity, such as beginning with an IAM assessment. 

To level-set, we understand that going from stage zero to stage one in the IAM maturity framework is an immense step forward. It takes you into a new operating environment that is perimeter-less with a broad attack vector. To combat the potential fear associated with that, let’s reduce the transition scope and create an initial milestone activity that’s a small step forward.

An example is getting ten users migrated to stage one and accessing three important business applications. Then, take the next step and double that by adding 20 users. Rinse and repeat until all identified users have been migrated. Now, you’ve begun building that knowledge and understanding what it will take for your organization to get to stage four. 

To continue capturing that value with IAM maturity, you must look at your IT infrastructure strategy as a parallel task. Here are two viewpoints to review: 

• What is my current on-premise environment roadmap? 
• What is my current SaaS solution roadmap? 

By balancing the current versus future state, you understand your organization’s path forward to stage four and where your investments are needed. 

As technology changes and new apps become available, small and medium-sized businesses are facing an uphill battle. At INFRASI, we understand and are up for the challenge to help facilitate change. Look are our application decision tool to start internal conversations or contact us to discuss. Let’s make progress on the IAM maturity model together.